Update:
Ja'kal M E SorcParty: Imoen, Ajantis
I'm not exactly sure where I left off last time, but I'll hit some highlights.
Along the way, we went to the Gnoll Fortress to get Ajantis some gloves, using the safer route of Nashkel -> Xvart Village -> S to "Dead Cat" map -> Gnoll Fortress. Sadly, I can't seem to leave Dynaheir in captivity, the dialog options to release her seem... inappropriate for my play style, and by the time we get back to Nashkel, nine times out of ten she provides enough help to the party I just can't see kicking her out.
Party: Imoen, Ajantis, Dynaheir.
Since the goal is to add Yeslick (never used him as an NPC before), we're trying to move quickly into and through Cloakwood, so we take on the (Nashkel) mines with a relatively low-level party, relying on Ajantis to tank (thanks to
Gauntlets of Dexterity and the ever-so-popular
Ankheg Armor). Kobolds are carved up nicely. Mulahey can't finish a spell with a regular stream of
Magic Missiles coming from both Dynaheir and Ja'kal, so he falls quickly ... an important thing, since the party has no access to
resist fear or
hold- resistant items.
This establishes the early party identity:
The best defense is a strong offense. Leaving the mines, the party is still too weak for the bandit camp, and I (the player) just can't turn down the chance to try the Amazons. The initial plan is to use Dynaheir's two second level slots for
Invisibility, sneak up invisibile Ajantis and Imoen on the archer and dart thrower, and then force them to melee while Dynaheir and Ja'kal use
Magic Missile to keep the clerics from casting spells. Not a great plan, but it's all I can come up with for a squad of 3rd/4th level characters.
However, working up from the bottom, they manage to get within sight of Maneira without triggering the encounter. On a lark, Dynaheir casts her single
Charm Person at her from range, without triggering an encounter. Failure... but Maneira doesn't notice.
Time for a new plan. Dynaheir changes out
Invisibility for
Stinking Cloud (she loves that spell!), and the party rests a few times, casting her
Charm Person at Maneira after each rest, until finally...
Jakal and Maneira on Flickr
Now ready for an encounter, the new plan is to trigger the encounter (quickly), have Maneira use melee on the other ranged F/T to force melee, and the party can hopefully sit back and use ranged attacks and
Magic Missile on the Clerics, probably distracting one and killing the other before moving in for the kill. Except...
Triggering the encounter changes Maneira
immediately to hostile, overriding the spell apparently. All that resting and planning is now wasted due to a lack of knowledge on my part about game engine mechanics. However, it takes her a moment to switch weapons, and Dynaheir instead leads with a
Stinking Cloud over the whole enemy set.
Surprisingly, luck holds, and three out of four drop. The lone standing cleric can't stand up to the barrage of
Magic Missiles and arrows from Ja'kal, Ajantis, and Imoen, so no spells from her, either. Imoen falls to a
Hold Person spell, but
Stinking Cloud keeps the Amazons from being able to take advantage of the situation and they start dropping like flies. By the time the Amazons start making their saves, the battle is all but over, with one fleeing Cleric (frightened by low hit points) dropped outside the cloud, and the rest never even took a step.
Jakal defeats the Amazons on Flickr
More later, this post is just too long.
Modifié par After5CST, 21 décembre 2011 - 01:06 .
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